Please invest in Our Daily Planet today, by making a one time or monthly contribution.
We do not charge our readers a subscription fee for our content. We want to continue to grow our readership, particularly among millennials and public servants. Voluntary contributions from readers will help us employ interns and freelance journalists, expand our content, and reach a larger audience.
If you make a contribution of $150 or more, you will become an official “Friend of the Planet” and receive a Friend of the Planet T-shirt or water bottle.
Our Daily Planet is a daily morning email (M-F) to keep you informed of the stories shaping our environment. If these issues matter to you, we’d like to be the best ten minutes of your morning.
This week we have been reporting on the impact millennials are having on environmental issues across society — so, which companies are poised to make the most of these attitudes? Forbes Magazine took a look at the “winners” and “losers” for millennial purchasers and found that fast casual restaurants are beating out fast food, casual and recyclable fashion companies are doing well because millennials want fewer and more versatile clothes that can go from home to office to gym (and these may be co-located), and companies that sell organic foods and products that reduce paper and plastic use and gadgets that promote the “sharing economy” and electric efficiency are all on the rise, as is ecotourism.
Why This Matters: It may seem obvious to anyone who lives in a city these days that Millennials are now driving many consumer options such as preferring dining out at fast casual places to eating in, eating more vegetables and healthy foods, and wanting an easily accessible gym and casual dress at work. Which is why companies like Noodles & Company, Sweet Green, Peloton, Uber, Zipcar, Patagonia, Dropbox, and Blue Apron are crushing it with Millennials and will see their market share grow as spending by young people increases over time. Millennials are, according to a recent survey, 76% more environmentally conscious than their parents and they are using their purchasing power to lift up this new wave of companies that suit their tastes.
Who Wins and Loses In Each Major Consumer Category?
Fashion: According to the latest data, 90% of millennials prefer clothes products from a brand whose social and environmental practices they trust and 95% of millennials would recommend that brand to a friend using their social platforms and networking devices. And they will pay more for these products and buy fewer of them — they want to reduce consumerism and replace buying more with buying sustainably. Winning companies are Patagonia, Rothy’s, Reformation, and Everlane.
Tech: Millennials prefer hybrid technology, according to Forbes, because they have grown up with computers and are comfortable combining two or more technologies to achieve efficient and eco-friendly energy systems and hybrid motor vehicles to reduce their carbon footprint — in 2018, 61% of millennials signed up for smart technologies and applications. Millennials prefer experiences over owning things and that translates to things like riding a shared bike to work, ride-sharing, and even ecotourism. Technology has made this entire segment of the economy possible. Millennials are also concerned about energy use in homes and offices and prefer smart and green buildings where energy is conserved. This even extends to health and wellness items such as wearable sports tech that promotes and tracks physical activity. Winners here are Uber, Zipcar, Peloton, Dropbox, Lime, and Lindblad Expeditions–National Geographic.
Spooky season is almost over, how does your everyday werewolf or vampire keep it green this Halloween? While the holiday can easily be filled with candy wrappers, disposable decorations, and costumes your kid will likely never wear again, the internet has some “tricks” to keep your celebrations environmentally friendly. EcoWatch’s list of best methods […]
This past July, all eyes were on Tokyo when over 10,000 Olympians from 206 nations descended on the city to make history. Despite a decrease in carbon emissions due to COVID-19 and fewer traveling spectators, the games still produced 2.3 million tons of CO2. In 2021, The International Olympic Committee (IOC) pledged to reduce […]
Startups across the country are on a mission to provide sustainable food packaging options and close the plastic loop, especially prompted by the pandemic take-out boom. Over 70% of Americans order delivery one to three times a week, creating hundreds of billions of single-use bowls, bags, utensils, and more. But some innovative companies have […]
Subscribe to the email that top lawmakers, renowned scientists, and thousands of concerned citizens turn to each morning for the latest environmental news and analysis.
Want the lastest climate news summarized for you each morning?
Our Daily Planet is your daily dose of the stories shaping our world and the ways that you can take action. From the climate crisis to the protection of biodiversity, if these issues matter to you then please subscribe & stay informed!
Your privacy is Important! We promise never to use your email address to send you spam or advertisements.